There is
a crisis of manga publishers in Japan and it is embarrassing.
Kazuaki Ishibashi, the mastermind behind the editing of gems like Mob
Psycho 100 and The World Only God Knows, has decided not
to shut up anymore. In a column that has set the networks on fire, the veteran
exposed an unfortunate reality: the industry is filling up with professionals
with perfect credentials and great social skills, but who have a fatal flaw: they
do not read manga.
The
crisis of manga publishers: "They see summaries on TikTok and think they
know"
Ishibashi's
critique is not a simple generational lament; it is a denunciation of the lack
of professional competence. "I've lost count of how many times I've asked
them, 'So why do you want to be a manga editor?' In my mind, I'm furious,"
he confessed. According to him, the "madness" and obsession of
yesteryear, where editors lived and breathed ink, has disappeared.
"I
want to manage an IP", the phrase that kills creativity
The problem
lies in motivation. Before, an editor said "Manga is my life, nothing else
matters". Today, aspirants see the position as a trendy springboard in the
entertainment industry. Their answers are usually corporate and empty: "I
want to support creators" or "I want to get involved with an
Intellectual Property (IP)". There is no passion for the medium, only for
the business.
The trap
of the algorithm and the "deaf producers"
Ishibashi
was brutally specific about how these young people "consume" content.
He blames the disappearance of physical bookstores and the rise of digital
algorithms that only show what one wants to see, closing their horizons. Even
worse, many believe that watching videos of recaps, anime adaptations or
viral panels on social networks counts as "reading manga".
To
illustrate the absurdity, he threw out a devastating comparison: "A
publisher who doesn't read enough manga is like a music producer who doesn't
listen to music." Without a mental database of past works, these new
editors are unable to detect plagiarism, failed clichés, or guide an author, as
they lack the criteria that only thousands of hours of actual reading give you.
